HomeMy WebLinkAboutStudy Session Packet 03-26-12STUDY SESSION AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO
7500 W. 29th Ave.
Wheat Ridge CO
March 26, 2012
Upon adjournment from City Council Meeting
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APPROVALOFAGENDA
.L Elected Officials' Report(s)
2. Staff Report(s)
~ Northwest Subarea Plan Update
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... ~ r City of • .. ~Wheat &_dge ~OMMUNilY DEVELOPMENT
TO:
THROUGH:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
BACKGROUND:
Memorandum
Mayor and City Council
Kenneth Johnstone, Community Development Directo ~
Sally Payne, Senior Planner
March 15, 2012 (for March 26, 2012 Study Session)
Northwest Subarea Plan Update
One of RTD's FasTracks rail lines is the Gold Line running from Denver Union Station through
Denver and Arvada with an end of the line station in Wheat Ridge at Ward Rd . The Gold Line is
one of the FasTrack lines approved by voters in 2004. RTD is required to prepare
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for any projects that will utilize federal dollars as is the
case with FasTracks projects. RTD initiated an EISon the Gold Line in 2006.
The Northwest Subarea Plan was prepared to provide input to RTD during development of the
EIS for the Gold Line. RTD is required to take into consideration any adopted plans by the
communities their rail lines will traverse. The Plan was the opportunity for the City to provide
input to RTD as to the City's desires regarding development of the rail line through the City.
The Northwest Subarea Plan was adopted in June of2006 as an amendment to the City's
Comprehensive Plan .
The Northwest Subarea Plan was developed before the EIS was completed and the final station,
parking and roadway designs completed by RTD in 2011. In addition, a num b er of actions have
taken place since the Plan was adopted that impact the recommendations in the Plan . City
Council has also identified the Northwest Subarea as a top priority in their 2011 /2012 Strategic
Plan. Based on these factors, staff is proposing an update to the Northwest Subarea Plan to
reflect these changes .
The purpose of this memo and study session topic is to update City Council as to the status of the
Northwest Subarea Plan and related projects or initiatives and to obtain any input from Council
as we move forward with an update to the Pl an .
ACTIONS SINCE NORTHWEST SUBAREA PLAN ADOPTED IN 2006:
Several actions h ave occurred since adoption of the Northwest Plan in 2006. Those include:
• Updated Comprehensive Plan Envision Wh eat Ridge adopted i n 2009
• Designation ofthe Northwest Subarea as an urban renewal area in 2009
• Lifting of City Charter restrictions related to building height and density in designated
urban renewal areas including the Northwest Subarea in 2009
• Preparation ofthe City's Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan in 2010
Northwest Subarea Plan Update
March 26, 2012
Page 2
• New Economic Development Strategic Plan completed in 2010
• New mixed use zoning approved in 2010
• Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Smart Growth Implementation Assistance
award in 2011 for investigating infrastructure needs and financing mechanisms at the
Northwest Subarea
• Update of the City's Streetscape Desii:,Tfl Manual in 2011
• RTD's completion of the EIS in 2011
• Signing ofCity/RTD Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) regarding project
improvements and mitigations
• RTD hiring of Denver Transit Partners to design, build, operate and maintain the Gold
Line in 2011
• Full Funding Grant Agreement finalized by the Federal Transit Administration for one
billion dollars for construction of the Gold and East rail lines in 2011
ENVISION WHEAT RIDGE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
During development of Envision Wheat Ridge. the City's comprehensive land use plan adopted
in 2009, a detailed economic analysis was undertaken of various areas of the City to identify
target locations for redevelopment and to determine what would be the highest and best types of
land uses in these areas. The result of this analysis was that the Northwest Subarea was one of
five target areas for redevelopment in the City. The identified focus for redeveloped land uses
was on employment uses. The City currently does not have large areas devoted to employment
opportunities and it made sense for this area to be considered. This recommended land use in
Envision Wheat Ridge diverted from the traditional transit oriented development (TOO) land use
recommendation found in the Northwest Subarea Plan. It would be best to have the
Comprehensive Plan and the Northwest Plan be consistent in their recommendations.
MIXED USE ZONING ADOPTION:
In the fall of 2009, a ballot measure passed exempting certain urban renewal areas in the City
from the height and density restrictions found in the City Charter. One of those areas was the
Kipling urban renewal area which includes the Northwest Subarea.
To address density and height in these areas removed from the Charter, a new mixed use zone
district (MUZ) was adopted in 2010. One of the functions of the MUZ was to identify the
appropriate building height for various types of mixed use districts. One of the specific mixed
use districts found in the new ordinance is the Mixed Use-TOO. This sub-district is intended
for areas within ~ mile of rail stations. It is designed to allow densities that support transit
ridership and encourages land uses and building form that enhance connections to transit. The
MUZ-TOO calls out specific maximum building heights for TOO areas of eight stories for
mixed use buildings and six stories for single use buildings.
The owner of the former Jolly Rancher site, 18C Holdings, LLC recently submitted an
application to rezone their 16 acres to the Mixed Use-TOO zone district.
These changes to the City Charter removing the height and density restrictions and the new
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Northwest Subarea Plan Update
March 26, 2012
Page 3
regulations in the MUZ district are proposed to be included in the Northwest Plan update.
RTD ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS):
RTD began the development of the EIS in 2006. The purpose of an EIS is to examine possible
negative impacts prior to building a project utilizing federal funds. The EIS identifies any
negative consequences, explores various alternations and identifies needed mitigation measures.
It is during the EIS process that decisions on actual rail alignment, station location and design,
mitigation measures, etc. are made for a transit project. The EIS is a decision making, regulatory
document that results in federal action referred to as a "Record of Decision (ROD)." Once the
ROD is signed, implementation of the project may proceed. The ROD for the Gold Line was
signed in July of2011.
Agencies preparing an EIS must involve and obtain input from the communities impacted by the
project. The City provided RTD with numerous comments throughout the development of the
Draft and Final EIS documents. The Final EIS contains the final station and parking layout as
well as the roadway connections to the station. The location and layout for the station at Ward
Road identified in the EIS vary somewhat from what was included in the Northwest Subarea
Plan. Updating the Northwest Subarea Plan would provide the opportunity to reflect the final
station, parking and roadway design as shown in the EIS as it will be built.
EPA SMART GROWTH IMPLEMENTATION GRANT:
In June 2010 the City applied for assistance through the EPA Smart Growth Implementation
Technical Assistance Program. The Program provides technical assistance to communities
working to implement smart growth principles. A team of experts is formed to examine and
make recommendations regarding particular challenges facing communities in implementing
smart growth projects. The City is one of several communities in the nation selected to receive
assistance in analyzing infrastructure needs for development at rail stations. An EPA and
consultant team has been working on the project for the past few months. While EPA will
prepare a short report focused on issues pertinent to the City's particular needs, their overall final
report is intended to benefit a larger audience of communities facing infrastructure challenges in
TOO development.
The City received a draft final report in February 2012. The final report is expected later in 2012.
Again, findings and recommendations from these can be included in the update to the Northwest
Plan.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITES REGIONAL PLANNING GRANT:
DRCOG applied for and received five million dollars for a Sustainable Communities Regional
Planning Grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. EPA
and the U.S. Department ofTransportation. The purpose of the grant is to support metropolitan
and multi-jurisdictional planning efforts that integrate affordable housing, land use, and
workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments in a manner that
empowers jurisdictions to consider the interdependent challenges of 1) economic
competitiveness and revitalization 2) social equity, inclusion and access to opportunity 3) energy
use and climate change; and 4) public health and environmental impact. The City of Wheat
Ridge is participating as part of a consortium of communities taking part in the planning efforts.
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Northwest Subarea Plan Update
March 26, 2012
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DRCOG's application was for funding to support corridor planning efforts along four FasTracks
corridors-the East Line, West Line, Gold Line and Northwest Line. Catalytic projects will be
selected on each rail line that will help catalyze redevelopment at these sites and in turn provide
valuable lessons for other transit station areas throughout the region. While there are seven
stations along the Gold Line, the Ward Road station could potentially be chosen as a catalytic
project site for the rail line.
UPDATE ON IBC (JOLLY RANCHER) PROPERTY:
The old Jolly Rancher site is currently zoned Industrial (I). IBC Holdings, LLC, the property
owner of the property, has initiated a rezoning of the property to MU-TOD. The company is
interested in developing the property in a way that will be supportive of the future rail line. In
addition, IBC has initiated fonnation of a Metropolitan District and an April 9 111 City Council
public hearing has been scheduled.
CITY INITIATED REZONING OF THE NORTHWEST SUBAREA TO MUZ:
In 2010, after the adoption of the new MUZ zone district, City staffheld a meeting with property
owners in the Northwest Subarea to present and discuss the idea of a City initiated rezoning of
properties to the MUZ district. Initially the idea of rezoning was not very well received by
property owners. A decision was made at that time to suspend moving forward on the rezoning.
Since meetings will be held with property owners during the update process for the Northwest
Subarea Plan, the topic of rezoning will be brought up again ..
STATUS OF RTD SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR PROPERTY:
The land where RTD is proposing to locate the rail station and parking is currently zoned
Industrial (1). A transit station is considered a special use, not a permitted use, in the industrial
zone district. Therefore RTD is required to submit a Special Use Permit (SUP) for development
of the rail station at Ward Road.
City code requires that special use permit applications be originated only by the prospective
owner of the proposed special use, with written approval of the fee owner of the property in
cases where the owner of the property is different than the owner of the proposed special use.
Currently R TD does not own the property where the station and parking are to be located. Prior
to submittal of the SUP application, RTD will need to obtain the consent of the property owner
where the station will be located. RTD is currently working with the property owner to come to
agreement regarding the submission of an SUP application.
PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE 2006 NORTHWEST SUBAREA PLAN:
Based on the above items, the following revisions are proposed to be made to the 2006
Northwest Subarea Plan:
• Revise maps and text to be consistent with the final Gold Line EIS station, parking and
roadway design plans
• Revise land use recommendations to be consistent with recommendations in Envision Wheat
Ridge to focus on primary employment complemented with commercial and retail services as
well as multi-family housing
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Northwest Subarea Plan Update
March 26, 2012
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• Revise proposed land uses south of the tracks as proposed in the Plan from Office/Light
Industrial to mixed use with a focus on employment
• Revise to include recommendations in the MUZ-TOO zone district and the Streetscape
Design Manual
• Update trail locations to be consistent with the adopted Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan
• Incorporate recommendations regarding infrastructure improvements and financing from the
EPA Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant
• Update goals, policies and action steps as needed to reflect current objectives
• Update economic development recommendations to reflect the area as an urban renewal area
PUBLIC PROCESS:
Staff is proposing first notifying property owners of the City's intention to update the Northwest
Subarea Plan. Initially, we anticipate two meetings will be held with property owners for the
update to the Plan. At the first meeting, the City's proposed changes to the Plan will be
presented to obtain input from property owners and businesses. At the second meeting, a draft of
the revised Plan will be presented for final comments. During these meetings, staff is proposing
to bring forward the idea of the City initiated rezoning to MU Z-TOO again to see what property
owner's stance would be on this action.
INPUT FROM CITY COUNCIL:
At the March 26th study session, staff would like any feedback from Council regarding the
proposed approach to updating the Northwest Subarea Plan.
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